La Storia — Restaurant in Rushcliffe

Myself parter mother & father attended the restaurant for dinner on Friday evening. Upon arriving i was not asked if i had a table booked, which i did. When trying to order i was rudely interrupted i cannot take your order for a while and food will be at least 45 minutes. No warm welcome, no asking if i had a table booked? no menu's offered? until i had to ask for one. Upon finally receiving a menu, I explained my mother is vegetarian and does not eat pasta dishes (she just does not like them and is a fussy eater) on the childrens menu there are pizzas, to which she wanted to order and we was very bluntly told no you cannot order from this menu - this is the first restaurant i have ever entered to not be able to order food available from, instead she had to order a bowl of roast potatoes after explaining there is nothing at all on the limited main menu for her to eat. This is absolutely shocking - this reason alone they are clearly trying to make as much money out of you as possible and not accommodate your needs at all but instead let you sit with family having no choice of food at all unable to eat. The restaurant is all about making as much money as possible - the chef i believe was italian? It was the young guy with dark hair - i said can you explain to the management please my mother has no options to eat and you can clearly make her a small pizza to which he replied simply no you cannot order from this knowing now she has no options. Myself, i actually was allowed to order a cheese pasta from the childrens menu? but of course the price was doubled! i repeat doubled into an adults version - half of this was left as i did not require a double portion as the smaller portion would of been what i required, this was simply to charge me a premium. We ordered 3 starters of garlic bread, asking for a dip of mayonnaise... they apparently didnt have this? more like could not be bothered to attend the kitchen to fetch it. Our mains came out - my mothers bowl of roast potatoes, we asked another waitress and shock they did have mayonnaise which was then kindly retrieved for us. a little too hate after 3 portions of garlic bread were eaten and dry. The last comment, no water that we ordered was delivered to our table? is this because they was not making enough money from the sale of this? followed by the most pushy comments i have ever received in a restaurant 'them glasses are looking desperately low! more wine and another beer?' we then repeated we have not been given our table water to which he didnt seem impressed. Im sorry, but i have never felt so let down with service. You simply do not let a paying family have a member of the table sit there unable to eat, because you are wanting more money out of them and doubling the price of a simple pasta dish that was ordered off the childs menu. Extremely rude. By the replies from the management team on the other negative reviews - I really do advise everyone reading this review to check them out, they clearly do not care about their customers at all i have never such saw rude responses. You need to do better, not think about a couple of pounds profit going forward. Very let down - a lot better restaurants around the area for the food and service received in this one....

Real Italian's Review:

So my Italian (Milanese) missus and I decided for her birthday to give La Storia a try - the reviews seemed promising and the menu is actually somewhat acceptable. What with other Italian restaurants in Notts having as much in common with Italy as say, Kazakhstan, La Storia seemed to pass all the initial checks for being authentic. Unfortunately it's just another example of how we Brits have no understanding of food and google reviews is full of bull plop.

Sadly La Storia is run by 2nd generation Italians who seem to have no pride in their origins and are only focussed on conning customers out of their money.

Prices are astronomically high for mediocre food. The first red flag came in the fact that, as it would be in Italy, free bread was not offered with the table. Given for two we ended up paying no less than £127 thats ridiculous. I've eaten in London for cheaper and far better quality. For that cost you can get an uber to east Midlands airport, grab a flight to Italy, and eat there for the day with change. Utter, utter madness.

The menu does not match the current one advertised online which was disconcerting, it's 2023. Update your socials for gods sake.

Needless to say there are some... interesting, and definitely non-Italian choices. The "savory" Cannoli, while they exist in Italy has definately given a sicilian a heart attack somewhere in the world.

The Controfilleto di Manzo was £30 a plate, was not filling enough and was sat on soggy potatoes. If for £30 a plate I'm not wowed you're full of plop. Plain simple.

The desserts were the worst of the meal, the Mousse al Cafè was revolting and returned - it tasted more of sugar than coffee and looked nothing like it should. The Torte Soffice tasted like a cheap Mr Kipling desert.

Add to all of this the prime view of a side street facing the notts cricket ground wall, and a sneaky hidden 10% service fee for a newbie student waitress, and I wasn't feeling like I was in Italy at all.

The only things I will say in the favour of this place is that the staff offered us a table outside when we'd booked inside as they'd had a cancellation and when we returned the Mousse al Caffè they offered a free limoncello shot (£4 each normally?!?) And removed the cost from the bill. They did taste suspiciously of Gamston Canal water though.

TL:DR don't go, its not Italian and will cost more than a day...

Tucked away in the heart of West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, this Italian restaurant is a delightful gem for anyone looking for authentic cuisine and warm hospitality. La Storia is not only a story about tasty, well-prepared, fresh food, it's mostly a story about food made from scratches based on ingredients of excellent quality, meals bursting with flavour made with Italian heart and soul.

If you're craving for some Italian classics, with a little bit of twist, but still with a note of home made food like made by nonna (nan), this is the place you would like to visit and I'm sure you won't be disappointed.

From the moment you walk in, you're greeted by genuinely lovely staff who go above and beyond to make you feel welcome. They are all very friendly and accommodating, nothing is too much of a problem for them. They are happy to go through the menu options with you, advising and explaining some dishes, they're happy to pair your wine (and the wine selection is great) and they are very attentive to dietary restrictions.

Along the regular menu, the place offers specialties as well. There are some options for vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free meals as well.

It's a wonderful place to go with your friends or family, with a very relaxed atmosphere.

It's been a fantastic birthday experience for me and the staff went above and beyond to make this evening special for me. I am hoping next time I visit La Storia I get a chance to taste famous...